


There are no wolves in California

by CobraBi



Category: Cobra Kai (Web Series), Karate Kid (Movies)
Genre: M/M, another werewolf au from me, largely inspired by teen wolf tbh, the events of TKK3 didn't happen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-15
Updated: 2021-01-18
Packaged: 2021-03-13 15:22:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28780455
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CobraBi/pseuds/CobraBi
Summary: It's been five years since high school and life is pretty good for Daniel except for the fact that he's bored and a little lonely. He craves excitement and some friendship. Johnny on the other hand desperately wishes to escape the excitement in his life. Daniel and Johnny cross paths again and Daniel picks up that there's something going on with Johnny, he's hiding a lot of things and doing things that don't make sense. An uneasy friendship is started and Daniel gets a little more excitement than he hoped for. The closer he and Johnny become, the more danger presents itself.
Relationships: Daniel LaRusso/Johnny Lawrence
Comments: 30
Kudos: 27





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Coming at you hot with another werewolf au!

Daniel knew he should be thankful for the calm in his life but he wasn’t. In truth, he was bored. Completely and utterly bored, yearning for some excitement, some change to get him out of his current funk. He wasn’t unhappy, he was maybe the happiest person he knew (besides Jessica) but he just wasn’t content. He wanted adventure and he was lonely. 

Maybe this accumulated from the fact that Daniel didn’t have many friends. He had Mr. Miyagi (who was basically a father to him but still a friend), he had Kumiko (they wrote often but she was in Japan and he couldn’t exactly run down there and see her, plus she was busy) and he had Jessica. Though often she went away to go see her family. Jessica would bring her friends around him and sometimes her boyfriend (he was nice) but it’s not like those friends were Daniel’s friends. He was in truth a social butterfly and he longed for some company. And some company that wasn’t female, Jessica was great, she was fantastic, but sometimes relating to her was hard. He needed guys his own age and Mr. Miyagi was nowhere near his age. He had been popular in Jersey but made unpopular in California (by no fault of his own!) it was all because of what happened to him in high school. 

If only things had gone better. He didn’t even have a girlfriend anymore because of how things ended with Ali. As much as he hated to admit it, he knew that he had really messed that one up. It was too late to rekindle things, five years had passed and she would have graduated from college by now with her college boyfriend doing college-y things with him. Daniel didn’t go to college, well he tried but even taking a few classes hadn’t suited him, and it was hard to manage the store when his mind was elsewhere. Surprisingly, Miyagi’s Little Trees was doing really well. At first, business had been rocky and slow and Daniel feared he had made a huge mistake. He thought the area had been too poor or the concept was too funny for people but then one day their luck changed just before they nearly declared bankruptcy. They got a bunch of clients and the clients were rich too, all wanting to make gardens of their own that included bonsai trees. Sometimes Daniel even went to the big mansions up in Encino Hills and planted the bonsais there and told the owners how to care for them. Business was great! It was steady! But Daniel was very, very bored. 

His dating life was pretty much nonexistent. Even Mr. Miyagi had more game than he did. It was a little frustrating. At first, he blamed everyone but himself for that fact but once he had night after night of one-night stands and frustrating first dates that went nowhere, he started to realize that he was the problem. After Ali, after Kumiko, hell, even after everything that went down in high school, it was hard for him to connect with people that closely but he wished things were different. On his last one-night stand, the woman had described him as standoffish which was an instant mood killer. It was like he was being held back by something or someone. Daniel just couldn’t figure himself out. At least he had a home to go back to, a steady business, and a few close friends even if he did want more from his life eventually.

——

It was a peaceful night when Daniel decided to take an extended drive before he went home. The moon was full in the sky and the temperature was nice enough for him to put the top down on his car. He was cruising and letting the cool air blow over him, it was very relaxing.

Daniel very nearly didn’t notice the shape hurtling out of the woods towards his car but luckily he did and he slammed on the brakes just in time. There in the headlights stood a dog, no- actually it was too big to be a dog, it was a wolf. A big shaggy grey wolf that was looking right at him, unmoving and not even caring that it had nearly been hit. He had seen plenty of animals in his time on the roads like deer, raccoons, possums but never a wolf. Its eyes glowed in the dark so he couldn’t see what shade they actually were since they just came off as a glare but its eyes seemed to not be looking at him as much as they seemed to be looking through him. It was unnerving, to say the least.

He couldn’t sit there all night staring at it and let it stare at him. “What are you doing? Move!” Daniel honked his horn at it. It stood there like a statue, not even flinching, all it did was flick one ear back which appeared to indicate annoyance. “You’re in the road! Do you want to get hit?” He realized he was trying to reason with an animal but this animal was acting really strange.

The wolf blinked slowly at him but then began to trot away, disappearing into the darkness from whence it came.

Now that was finally something exciting. Daniel was pretty positive that there were no wolves in California. He couldn’t wait to fill in Mr. Miyagi about that encounter. It never occurred to him that the creature may have been dangerous. Although he thought that maybe it was an omen or something, animals meant things right? Especially when animals appeared in places they didn’t belong and acted like they weren’t supposed to. He just hoped it didn’t mean anything terrible. He wanted adventure, not tragedy.


	2. Chapter 2

Johnny was upset. No, he was mad. Actually, he was pretty sure he was depressed. He was so sick of being on edge all the time. He wanted to break free so badly. Four years ago his nightmare started and at this point, it felt like it was never-ending. But he was making plans and he was determined to get out even if it killed him. He would encounter pushback and a fight no doubt but he felt like a prisoner and he didn’t like feeling like he had no choice in how he lived his life. The life he had now wasn’t his choice. He could have gone anywhere, been anything, but instead, he was where he was and suffering in silence.

He stared at himself in his bathroom mirror. The mirror was dirty, scummy from toothpaste stains, but he could see his face clearly enough. Johnny looked tired and he was tired. Dark circles hung under his eyes and his face was scruffy. He snarled at his reflection just because he could. It was almost time for him to go and meet the others. Meet Kreese. He trembled at the thought of seeing the man, he just couldn’t help himself. The fear was still there but mostly his trembling came from the anger he was feeling and the true hatred he had for his once admired Sensei. He gripped the sides of the sink forcefully as if to steady himself as the anger came to him. Today was a bad day. He did not want to see Kreese. 

In high school his anger had been potent enough and misdirected, thinking on what he did in senior year was troubling to him and he couldn’t blame Kreese or Sid for all of it. Johnny had gotten a better handle on his emotions since then or at least the emotions he let out around other people but he was in a constant struggle with them when he was alone. He would never let Kreese know what his true feelings were but the man had probably sensed them one way or another. When he got angry by himself he wanted to destroy things or even harm himself but often he just chose to destroy his own property. This apartment he had was already shit enough without him putting more holes in it but he did repair/construction work so he was used to fixing things. Sid had cut him off as soon as he graduated, didn’t even give him a grace period or anything, but he had managed. His mom helped, she made sure to smuggle him money monthly so he could get by (even as he told her not to) and he had his own funds from his work and the jobs he had to do for Kreese and Kreese’s business partner Terry Silver (who was loaded). All his friends lived in better places than he did but this place had always felt temporary to him and he was saving up for a better future. A future that possibly involved leaving California if push came to shove.

Before he could help himself or redirect his anger, the sink came off from the wall like it hadn’t been installed at all and it slipped from his hands, crashing and shattering slightly on the floor. Water burst from the pipes immediately and doused him. “Fuck!” Johnny swore, he hadn’t thought this one through. It was lucky that he was on the first floor so he wasn’t in any danger of the water leaking down below on any neighbors but he still didn’t want it to flood. His shirt had gotten a good soaking and his face too by the time he managed to twist the pipes so they were only leaking somewhat. He wiped his face on his arm and groaned, this was just great! Just what he needed right now. As his mind raced with what to do and how he was going to fix things, someone knocked on his door. He froze, only just now remembering that he had agreed to ride with Bobby today.

Now he was screwed. He just needed to act like he was fine. He was good at faking it (usually). He quickly ran from the bathroom, closing the door and smoothing back his wet hair as he opened the door to greet his friend. “Oh, hey, Bobby.” Johnny tried to sound as casual as possible as if he just didn’t rip his sink out of his wall.

“Did you forget you were riding with me today, Johnny?” Bobby asked and he seemed puzzled by Johnny’s frazzled appearance. He was all ready to go, always so on top of things, which was why everything operated like a well-oiled machine when he was around. Bobby had taken a few classes at college (Johnny hadn’t even gone) but he mostly did work for his dad and the work that Kreese and Silver had them do. Johnny thought that Bobby would have made himself into a real college man if things hadn’t gone down the way they did. His best friend looked him over and frowned. “Did you take a shower with your clothes on?” He gestured to Johnny’s wet appearance.

“I didn’t forget. I- I’m just tired, that’s all.” Johnny lied (but he was tired). “I was in the shower but I managed to get these wet- I just need to change and get my things. I’ll be out soon.” He told his friend.

“Is that running water?” Bobby leaned towards the sound curiously. “Did your pipes burst again?”

“It’s nothing.” Johnny waved him off and attempted to close the door but Bobby was on a mission now and he wouldn’t be put off from it. He could only stand there helplessly as his friend pushed by him to go check out the sound.

Bobby opened the bathroom door and gasped. “Johnny, what the hell?” He gestured to the sink lying on the floor and the water gushing out. “Don’t tell me you were just gonna let this run.”

There was no point in hiding his feelings now. “Maybe. I don’t know.” He put his face in his hands. “I don’t want to go.”

“I can see that.” The brunette agreed and his voice got soft as he took in Johnny’s reaction. “I can give Kreese a call and tell him we can’t come because we have to deal with this.” He was the one to take charge in situations. Always there to help Johnny in his time of need. “I know he likes us to be punctual and attend every meeting but this situation is an exception to that rule.”

“Thank you.” Johnny murmured gratefully. He wasn’t strong enough to do that himself. As much as he hated going to meet with Kreese and the others, he never had the balls to not go unless he really, really needed to be somewhere else. He was careful not to ever incur Kreese’s wrath again. He knew the Kreese that had come out of hiding after the 84’ All Valley was lying in wait like a cobra ready to strike first, strike hard and give no mercy.  
After Bobby had made the call, he ignored the sink dilemma and immediately came to tend to Johnny. “Tell me what’s wrong, Johnny.” He implored as they sat on Johnny’s old sofa together. “You can tell me anything.”

Johnny looked into the caring face of his friend and realized he didn’t have to keep up his walls anymore. He needed to let his emotions come out and he crashed into Bobby’s arms, desperate for a hug, some reassurance, as he felt so small. “I hate it. I hate seeing him. I hate going there. I hate doing all these jobs for him.” Johnny mumbled into Bobby’s shoulder, the tears already slipping from his eyes. 

Maybe another guy would have pushed him away (like Dutch) since guys didn’t get this close with their friends but not Bobby. He would have traded all his friends to keep Bobby by his side his whole life. “I know you do, Johnny, I know you do.” Bobby rubbed his back. “I don’t like being there either or seeing him. You’re not alone in that.” He said soothingly.

“Then why doesn’t anyone want to leave?” Johnny asked, upset. “It can’t just be us.”

Bobby sighed with regret. “You know how Dutch is, he didn’t like Cobra Kai not being a thing anymore and he likes everything that happened, it gives him an excuse to act out. He likes having power. Jimmy is hard to get a read on but he acts like nothing happened between Kreese and us. Tommy tried to intervene when Kreese…” He trailed off, trying to pick his words carefully as he knew how fresh that wound was for Johnny. “When Kreese hurt you so I think he feels closer to how you and I feel.”

“I’m so tired of it all.” He admitted brokenly. “I don’t know how much more I can fucking take. It makes me so mad seeing him. He acts like I’m his favorite student still and that he never did anything to me. I feel like I’m his fucking pet. Like I’m suffocating and I’ll never get free of him.”

“Johnny, I promise you, it won’t always be like this.” Bobby assured him. “Things will get better. If you want to leave, I’ll stand by your side.”

“Thanks, you’re the best, Bobby.” Johnny sniffled and drew back, wiping his eyes. “I have money saved up. I just need a good plan and a good time to make it all happen.”

“Anytime, Johnny.” The brunette smiled that winning smile of his and he took Johnny’s hands in his and held them (almost like a blessing of sorts). “You’ll figure this out. We’ll figure this out. These feelings you have won’t last forever.” His confidence made Johnny’s worries melt away. “Now how about fixing that sink of yours?”

The way he said it made Johnny laugh. “Yeah.” He nodded. “I should probably deal with that before my landlord gets on my case.”

——

With two handymen fixing one sink, it didn’t take long. They did have to make a quick run to the hardware store to get a new sink since Johnny ruined it. Bobby had started to try and pay for it even though it was Johnny’s problem. He reminded his friend that his mom gave him extra money so he was more than capable of purchasing a replacement sink so Bobby had no choice but to relent. Together they mopped up the water and thanks to Bobby, his bathroom looked cleaner than it ever had.

“Now what?” Johnny asked his best friend once it was all completed. They had time to spare. Maybe they could grab a beer?

“Let’s do something fun.” Bobby suggested and he had a mischievous glint in his eye that made Johnny wonder.

“Yeah, okay.” Johnny agreed. “I’m following your lead.”

\------

Bobby drove since he knew where they were heading. Johnny turned up the music and spent his time spacing out while looking out at the passing scenery. He wasn’t sure if other kids did this but when he was little, he used to imagine animals running alongside the car to keep himself from being bored. Tonight, he imagined a wolf running next to the car, avoiding any obstacles and moving faster than the wind itself. The wolf disappeared once Bobby pulled into the parking lot and he snapped out of it to see where they ended up. Instantly it was like being transported back in time.

“Golf N’ Stuff? Seriously?” Johnny snorted but he couldn’t mask the delight in his voice at being back there.

“What?” Bobby shrugged. “You used to love it here. I don’t think we’ve been here in forever.”

“Yeah, the last time I remember being here was when I saw Ali and LaRusso on a date together.” The memory felt so long ago. He remembered it so well because he couldn’t keep his eyes off the little twerp, he had almost wished LaRusso had taken up the offer to come in the car. But he wasn’t sure what he would have done then. Ali had been so angry and he winced. 

“High school does feel like ages ago.” Bobby said as they both stepped out of his truck.

“This place never changes though.” Johnny took in everything.

His friend paid for their golf round. “Did you expect it to change that much?” For some reason, his smile was a little sad.

He shook his head. “Maybe. I don’t really know what I expected.”

Even for a Friday night, it wasn’t that crowded and Bobby and Johnny mostly had the course to themselves. Johnny had never been a good golfer, he was good at track, soccer, football, and importantly karate, but never golf. Bobby on the other hand was a natural. Maybe it was because Bobby was patient and Johnny wasn’t.

“So how are things with Shannon?” Bobby made casual conversation. And when Johnny didn’t reply fast enough, his friend said. “That bad, huh?”

Shannon was a babe that he was supposed to be involved with. She was fiery and wild (reminded him of Ali a little) but they acted more like friends with benefits than romantic partners. “Yeah, she’s fun and all but I’m not that into it.” Johnny shrugged. And it was true, he wasn’t feeling it, even the sex was meh.

“What about that one guy-” Bobby snapped his fingers together. “Blake?” He peered down at Johnny from his perch on the golf club (which he was pulling off by doing an awkward crouch).

Bobby was the only one he trusted to know that he liked guys too. Sometimes it felt funny to hear him mention guys to Johnny in that way because Johnny wasn’t exactly out with anyone else. Even his own mother wouldn’t get it and he didn’t want her to feel embarrassed about him especially if word got back to Sid. 

He remembered how he told Bobby like it was yesterday.

-Flashback-

It was a few weeks after high school graduation and Johnny had felt like getting slammed. It was one last hurrah. Except he didn’t feel like getting together with any of his friends except for Bobby. He wasn’t exactly on good terms with Dutch or Jimmy and even though he liked Tommy, Bobby was Johnny’s best friend. When he dated Ali, it seemed like she had a new best friend every week. He’d ask her about one friend and then she’d act offended because somehow he was supposed to know that she wasn’t friends or best friends with this girl anymore. It was so confusing. He still missed her though. With the way he acted, they didn’t even get to stay friends, that’s what hurt the most. On top of that hurt, there was an itch he just couldn’t scratch and Johnny found himself having a revelation just before the tournament. It wasn’t a revelation you’d share with anyone though.

He met with Bobby on the beach, a secluded spot all of the Cobras used to hang out at when things were good. Now things were different and they wouldn’t be together anymore. Part of growing up and moving on. And finding out ugly things about each other.

After putting away copious amounts of alcohol, Johnny got the brilliant idea of telling Bobby his little secret. “Bobby, I gotta tell you something man, but you can’t tell anyone, got it?” He grinned as he sloshed beer on himself. When Bobby nodded dumbly, he took that as a good indication. “I like guys.”

“What?” Bobby slurred, leaning in like he didn’t hear Johnny quite right.

The alcohol made him confident. “I like guys.” He announced louder.

“I think you should say it louder. Maybe tell it to the ocean and the sky.” Bobby giggled.

Johnny thought that was a great idea before he knew it, he was stumbling out on the beach and shouting. “I like guys! I like girls and guys!” It was just him and Bobby out there and he was shouting up to the stars. In hindsight, Johnny had never felt so free in his life.

He didn’t remember how they had gotten home but he woke up on the floor of his bedroom with Bobby passed on his bed. His head was killing him and he felt dizzy when he sat up. It was hard to remember what happened during the night until he did and then he was gripped with fear. Maybe Bobby didn’t remember or he would chalk it up to Johnny being drunk.

When Bobby got up and pulled himself together, Johnny tried to hurry him out of there as fast as he could because he didn’t want to face the possibility that Bobby knew his dirty little secret. But his worst fear came true when Bobby stopped Johnny from opening the bedroom door.

“About what you said last night-” His best friend began slowly.

“That was- that was just me being stupid. Forget about it.” Johnny didn’t mean for it to sound like a plea but that’s what it was anyway.

“Johnny, even if you didn’t mean to, I’m glad you told me.” Bobby told him gently. “You can tell me anything. You’re my best friend, I’ll always support you.” He smiled warmly.

Johnny was stunned and he approached his friend nervously. “You don’t mind that I- that I like boys too? That I’m-” He gulped, wanting to wound himself with the language he had heard Sid use about people like him.

“You’re not.” Bobby knew what he was going to say. “You’re you. And- and you can’t let people judge you for that. You’re my best friend and that won’t change just because you like guys.”

Johnny crumpled like tissue paper, he fell into Bobby’s arms and hugged him, crying in relief. Bobby always knew how to make a guy feel better.

-End Flashback-

Back to Blake. Johnny gave a snort. “That’s history, man.”

“Sorry, I’m not trying to make this weird, I just worry about you.” Bobby said. “I want you to be happy.”

“I know you do.” Johnny told him affectionately. “Though I might have a problem if you start asking me if I’ve eaten or not.”

“Have you eaten?” Bobby wondered with a hint of a smirk on his face.

Johnny gave him a look.

“Sorry, sorry! I couldn’t resist.” His friend grinned.

“About the relationship issues, I don’t think I’m ready for a relationship right now.” Johnny admitted honestly. He could only get vulnerable with Bobby. “It’s like I’m hung up on someone-”

“And they’re not Ali.” Bobby was too intuitive for his own good.

“Right.” Johnny nodded as he set up the ball. “It’s just weird. Maybe if I can get away then I can shake that feeling. There’s just too much going on in my life even for a casual fling.” He shrugged. “What about you? I bet you have girls hanging all over you.” He took a swing and watched as the ball crept near the hole but didn’t go in.

“Not all over me.” Bobby gave a sly smile as he prepared his swing. “But I’m pretty booked for the near future.”

“Of course you are.” He rolled his eyes playfully. “Hey, save some of that golf skill for the rest of us.” He said in mock anger as Bobby got a hole in one.

“We can’t all be winners.” The other shrugged apologetically.

“That’s-” The words got lost in his mouth when he noticed something that made him freeze.

“What is it?” Bobby was alert and on edge immediately and he followed Johnny’s eyes to the disturbance.

“I-” Johnny rubbed his eyes to snap out of it. “Don’t you think that couple looks a lot like LaRusso and Ali?” He pointed at the couple across the course who was acting all lovey-dovey. Looking at them, he could have sworn that’s who they were but they weren’t them. He wasn’t sure why he was so shaken by it.

“Yeah, I can see it.” Bobby agreed. “Speaking of Daniel, did you ever…?” His friend broke off like he didn’t really know what he was trying to ask.

“Did I ever what?” He stopped looking at the couple just as they finally looked over, having felt searching eyes on them.

“Did you ever apologize to him?” 

Johnny paused as if he didn’t hear the question quite right. “No.” He answered truthfully and uneasily like he was in a church confessing his sins. “I didn’t. I avoided him after the tournament. I thought handing him the trophy was good enough but I know it wasn’t.”

“I did.” Bobby was a saint as usual. “I apologized for the part I played in the tournament and everything that happened before.”

“How’d he take it?” 

“He said he knew Kreese was partially responsible for it and he seemed happy that I tried to make amends.” His friend told him. 

“I don’t know if I could have said I was sorry back then.” Johnny mused. “Don’t get me wrong, I regret it all, I just don’t think I was ready to face it all at the time. I’m not even sure if I could get it out if I saw him again.” Like LaRusso would even trust it or want it. “What do you think he’s up to now? Annoying someone else?”

“That’s a real possibility.” Bobby acknowledged with a little smile.

\-------

Johnny went to bed feeling better than he had in ages. Bobby always knew how to cheer him up and what topics to approach. Though he wasn’t sure why Bobby had brought up LaRusso back there and not Ali. Whenever he thought of Ali it was always bittersweet and when he thought of LaRusso he felt so strange. It was better to bury all thoughts of LaRusso deep inside. Wherever LaRusso was, he had to be having a better life than Johnny was. Maybe this whole thing that happened to him was karma.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a Bobby stan 100%. Also, I'm being very intentionally vague because I don't want to give things away.


	3. Chapter 3

Daniel checked the clock, it was time for him to pack up shop. Mr. Miyagi was in the back inspecting some new bonsai arrivals. The door chimed and he lifted his head to say that they were closed but he saw it was just Jessica. “Hey, what’s up?” He greeted her easily.

“Are you closing up?” She wondered as she came up to the counter.

“Just about to.” 

“Oh my god, Daniel, I’m so stupid.” She groaned slumping against the counter in a dramatic effect. “I can be such a ditz.”

“What is it?” He questioned with a worried frown.

“Yesterday I went out with some friends and I had my newest pottery with me. I think they wanted to see it? So I took it in the bar with me but I left it there when I went home.” Jessica told him despairingly in an exaggerated fashion. “I just remembered now since I couldn’t figure out where I put it in my studio and I called the bar and the owner said it’s still there and I can go get it.”

“So what’s the issue?” Daniel asked her.

“I can’t get it, I need to do some work but I also really need those pots and cups because the buyer is picking them up in the morning.”

He wasn’t about to criticize her decision about going to the bar instead of working, sometimes people needed breaks. “I can pick them up.” He offered helpfully.

Immediately, his friend perked up and looked at him with bright eyes. “Oh, Daniel, would you? That would be a great help!” Her bubbliness returned instantaneously. 

“Sure, anything to help a friend. What’s the address?” Daniel asked and she handed him a slip of paper that had obviously been written because she knew he would agree to it. He raised an eyebrow at her. 

“Sorry!” She exclaimed sheepishly. “I guess I just know you too well.”

“Yeah, I think you do.” He laughed. “I’m closing up and I gotta run, Mr. Miyagi.” He called to the man and got a mumbled reply, clearly, the older man was engrossed in his work. 

“You’re a lifesaver!” Jessica called to him as he got in his car.

He gave her a wave as he started the car and made his way to the bar. The drive was longer than he expected it to be but that was probably another reason why Jessica had shown reluctance to drive back there. It gave him something to do at least, to distract from his increasing boredom. 

When he got there the place was packed, he thought about maybe sticking around and having a drink or two. It’s not like Jessica needed her creations right away, he just had to make sure she could deliver them by morning. He came up to the bar and drummed on the counter absentmindedly. “Hey, do you know anything about some pottery left by a girl called Jessica? I’m her friend and I came to pick it up.” He said to the bartender. 

The woman set down the glass she was cleaning and nodded. “It’s in the back. I can get it for you.” She jerked her head at the backroom.

“Thanks, that would be great.” He smiled and glanced around the bar as he waited for her to come back. Nothing out of the ordinary stood out to him, everyone there were just normal bar-goers and a few mixed in newcomers. But then… Daniel startled as he recognized someone. There was Johnny Lawrence at the bar. He hadn’t seen Johnny since high school and he hadn’t ever planned on seeing him again. It’s not like he wanted to fraternize with his high school bully. He couldn’t believe it but Johnny was there in the flesh. What were the odds? The blonde hadn’t seen him and Daniel didn’t want him to. They didn’t exactly end on good terms (even though Johnny had given him the trophy), they just treated each other like strangers by the end. When the bartender came back with the pottery, she set the box down on the counter with a big clank which got some attention. Daniel started to sweat. “Thank you.” He said hurriedly to her and grabbed the box. He attempted to sneak by but it was too late, Johnny’s blue eyes caught his brown eyes.

Was it his imagination or did Johnny flinch when he saw him? Okay, maybe they both weren’t prepared to see each other.

“Hey, Johnny.” Daniel smiled awkwardly as he approached him. “You haven’t changed one bit since high school, you’ve still got those golden locks and all.” Instantly when those words left his mouth, Daniel felt like kicking himself. His mouth went dry with embarrassment. ‘Golden locks’? What was that? Who said that to their high school karate rival? It sounded like he was flirting with Johnny.

Johnny didn’t seem phased. Maybe it was because he looked dead tired. “I didn’t expect to see you here, LaRusso. Come, sit down, I don’t bite.” He smirked at Daniel’s wariness.

‘I’m not the one who flinched.’ Daniel wanted to say but he knew it wouldn’t be worth it. What if he pissed Johnny off? So he did what Johnny said and sat down next to him, putting the box on the counter again.

“I haven’t seen you in, what has been, five years?” Daniel asked and Johnny nodded in agreement as he sipped his beer. “What have you been up to?”

“Not much.” Johnny shrugged modestly. “I do repair work and a little construction. What about you?”

Maybe Johnny wanted to be vague. “I own a bonsai shop with my Sensei, Mr. Miyagi.” Daniel answered as he fidgeted a little nervously. “Do- do you still do karate?” After what happened to Johnny after the tournament, he wasn’t sure if the other ever wanted to touch karate again.

“Yeah.” That was all Johnny was going to give him but interestingly enough, Daniel noted that his reply was super tense.

As if to keep the conversation from dying, Daniel blurted out the first thing that popped into his head. “I saw a wolf the other night.”

“Oh?” That got Johnny’s attention surprisingly well and he straightened up a little, leaning in a little closer.

“It ran out in front of my car. I almost hit it but stopped in time. Instead of moving, it just stared at me for a long time.” Daniel told him. “Which is weird because there are no wolves in California, right?”

“I’m pretty sure there are wolves in California, LaRusso.” The blonde chuckled. “They just don’t want us to see them.”

“Hmm.” Daniel murmured. “Do you think it means anything? Like danger?”

Johnny scrutinized him. “You’re thinking of black cats crossing your path. I’ve never heard that seeing a wolf meant anything.”

“You’re right, you’re right.” Daniel agreed, letting down his guard a little.

“Are you and Ali still a thing?” Johnny surprised him with the question.

“God, no.” Daniel snorted. “She broke up with me at prom. Claimed she was in love with some football player and she wrecked my car.” He tried to keep the sourness out of his voice but there was no hiding it. Okay, maybe he wasn’t prepared to admit fault about their breakup just yet.

“Ouch.” Johnny said sympathetically but he looked a little smug all the same. “Someone sounds bitter still.”

“I don’t know. I’m pretty sure I’ll never be as bitter as you were.” Daniel pointed out.

It was a risky play and anger flashed across Johnny’s face, it was brief but he still caught it. Ali was still a sore spot for both of them. “I deserved that.” The blonde took a long drink from his beer. “I was an angry kid in high school and to an extent, I still am, but you didn’t deserve that.” He said maturely. “I hope we can be cool now though.”

Daniel blinked slowly. Was that a disguised apology from Johnny? He didn’t say sorry directly but it was like he did. “Yeah, I- that was high school, Johnny. I remember what you said at the tournament and I figured we were already cool.”

Johnny’s look seemed to see right through him, see right past his lie, the two weren’t at the stage of being “cool” with each other yet and it was likely they were both pretending for each other’s sakes. “That’s good.” That was all Johnny said to that. “What’ve you got there?” He motioned to the box.

“This? It’s pottery. My friend left it here by accident.” Daniel placed the box in his lap so he could open it up a little easier. He was sure that Jessica wouldn’t mind him looking at it and showing it off, he was doing her a favor after all. “She’s really talented. She makes pots for all the bonsai trees at my shop.” He lifted the flaps and took out a cup to show to Johnny.

The blonde took the aqua-colored mug from him and looked it over. “It’s really cool.” He commented. “My mom would probably like something like this.”

“Well,” Daniel took the cup back from him and put it away. “Jessica’s studio is right across from my store. Maybe you could stop by.” Although he wasn’t sure he particularly liked the thought of his high school bully skulking around near where he worked.

“Where’s it at?” Johnny asked.

Daniel managed to scrounge up a pen and wrote Jessica’s address on a coaster. Johnny tucked it away in his pocket after looking at it thoughtfully for a few seconds.

“I should get going.” Daniel said abruptly. It was late and he had run out of things to say. Plus he had things to drop off.

“Me too.” Johnny sounded a little grateful for the escape. He placed a few bills on the counter and then got to his feet. 

It felt a little funny leaving the bar with Johnny Lawrence.

“Which one is you?” Daniel asked as they got out into the parking lot. The neon glow of the cheap sign was really bright.

“That one.” Johnny pointed to a red firebird.

Daniel whistled in appreciation. “Still got that classic, huh? I-” He stopped short when he noticed something strange that tangled the words up his throat. The strangest thing was happening to Johnny’s eyes. They were so bright, almost like they were glowing in the darkness and it wasn’t the reflection of the lights. In fact, Daniel was pretty sure human eyes didn’t react to lights like that. The blonde’s eyes were doing what a deer’s eyes did when caught in the headlights of a car. They were glowing and had a strange glare to them. He blinked rapidly trying to see if that did anything because surely he was imagining it but it didn’t seem like he was. It was like when he had seen the wolf.

“What is it?” Johnny’s voice sounded like a bark.

“Your eyes...” Daniel was floundering as he took a step back.

“What about my eyes?” The blonde tensed.

“They’re glowing...” He couldn’t believe it but they were. He’d never seen anything like it.

“Dammit!” Johnny swore and he sounded so furious which Daniel took as a weird reaction. “Fucking hell.” He stormed by Daniel and jumped right in his car.

Daniel didn’t even get a “nice seeing you again” or “have a good night”, all he got from Johnny was an angry squeal of tires as the firebird came to life in a roar and then swung out of its parking space so quickly that it nearly careened into other cars and him. The smell of burning rubber assaulted his nose as Johnny took off like the devil was hot on his trail.

He could only stand in bewilderment trying to figure out exactly what that had been. Their reunion had been awkward from the start but then Johnny had left so suddenly with no explanation at all. At least in high school, he had been able to get a read on the blonde, and what would make him angry but this instance? He was left utterly clueless. As he got in his car, he wondered if they’d meet up again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Daniel is right because, during this time, there were no wolves in California because they got killed off. They only reintroduced a small number of wolves to California recently. Technically Johnny isn't wrong though seeing as he knows a bunch of werewolves.


End file.
